Former WWE star CM Punk's UFC 2 rating downgraded after fan backlash

With UFC 2 out next week, publisher EA has revealed the final overall ratings for every combatant in the game – and former WWE wrestler CM Punk has been given a surprise 82/100 score.

Punk's rating is of particular note because when his in-game likeness was revealed in January, it came with an overall rating of 85 – and MMA fans, suspicious of a man who's never had a real fight, reacted in universal fury.

Downgrading his final rating by three percentage points – making Punk one of the weakest characters in the game as a result – should go some way towards placating those angry Octagon worshippers.

The move, while unlikely to have Punk leaping around his living room in delight, isn't an altogether surprising one. UFC 2 director Brian Hayes warned that it was coming during a twitch livestream with flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (pictured) in late January. "The internet just lost its mind over CM Punk having an 85 rating," he said. "That's not what his rating is going to be when the game comes out."

At the other end of the scale, Johnson and former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones are the best-rated fighters in the game, with overalls of 95 apiece. Next up are Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Georges St-Pierre and Raphael Dos Anjos, all with 94.

UFC 2 is out for PS4 and Xbox One on 15 March in North America, and 17 March in Europe.